


Hon-mei: from a Secret Admirer

by braverose (chaosandwonder)



Series: Of Demons and Thunder Dragon Slayers [5]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Miraxus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28574631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaosandwonder/pseuds/braverose
Summary: Mirajane receives a Thank-you gift on White Day, but she never gave anyone a special chocolate on Valentines... or did she?
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Mirajane Strauss
Series: Of Demons and Thunder Dragon Slayers [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2167794
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	Hon-mei: from a Secret Admirer

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request fic from my Tumblr, posted there and on FFN several years ago. The prompt is "Secret Admirer". I am archiving my old fics here, and while I try not to spam the tag, I am posting this right after the previous fic because I guess this collection could use something a little light in addition after that not so nice one.

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**Hon-mei**

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Every year, on White Day, Mirajane would be asked the same question over and over: "Did you get anything special for today?"

To this she would always reply that no, she didn't; White Day is when women who gave special gifts to men on Valentines receive a gift in return, and while she enjoyed giving away chocolates on Valentines, she made them for everyone in the guild. There isn't any one more special than the others, therefore, she doesn't expect anything special back.

This year it is Lisanna who first asked, and Mirajane gave her usual, "Oh, I didn't give anyone a special gift last Valentines, so I don't expect—"

"Miss Mirajane Strauss?" a voice cut in. The siblings turned to see a man approaching, escorted to the guild's bar by Lucy, Natsu and Happy, who are all, by the way, smiling a little too broadly.

"That's me..." She blinked, aware now that the man is carrying a huge bouquet of flowers and that its presence has begun to attract the attention of several mages, particularly the women.

"A special delivery for you, Miss Strauss," the man gave her the bouquet, and a small slip of paper to sign.

"Who is it from?" Lisanna, Lucy and Happy chorused.

Mirajane inspected the paper she is signing, but the field where the sender's name ought to be is left blank. "It doesn't say," she frowned as she handed the paper back to the messenger, an expectant look on her face.

The messenger apologized, "It's one of those that come with strict instructions. No sender information even in my logbook..."

Once the messenger has left, Mirajane found that it's impossible to drive the mages away, they are far too curious to know who have sent her this gift. "Mira-nee, you're killing us with suspense!" Lisanna complained in a teasing manner when she just stared at the small envelop attached to the bouquet, still debating whether to open it with the crowd looking on.

She laughed, deciding to open it. It's not like she's keeping secrets anyway; she was sure this is just from one of her fans if not from the magazine executives.

"To my Secret Admirer, Thank you." Happy read the card aloud, apparently peeking from behind her. Mirajane turned to glare at the exceed, but he was quick to float away while tittering.

Laughter ensued, but Lisanna was more curious: "Eh, I thought you didn't give anyone a gift Mira-nee? Why is this guy calling you his 'secret admirer' and thanking you?"

"Honest. I didn't give anyone a gift, and I'm not anyone's secret admirer," she denied profusely.

"Maybe it's an error?" Lucy offered. "Maybe he meant 'From your Secret Admirer' and just—"

"Ha, this guy is stupid then," Natsu claimed, "I won't mistake 'To' with 'From', Erza taught me that."

Lucy frowned at the fire mage, "—I was going to say that maybe it's a mistake made by whoever wrote it in the card, if he didn't write it himself. Gift shops usually offer to write your message on cards."

"Yeah. It's possible," Lisanna agreed.

As the group went on guessing the sender's identity as well as chatting about the gifts they received, Mirajane finally let her gaze wander to a certain lightning mage whose aura somewhat changed after hearing Natsu's remark earlier.

It's a strangely familiar feeling; she had always felt it when his mood changes. Like she knew that he had grunted disappointedly when she denied being anyone's secret admirer, and was irked when Natsu claimed the sender stupid. He had his eyes on her all the time, from the moment the messenger arrived. She could tell these even though she never glanced his way until now.

She found Laxus still staring; a brow arched, fingers drumming on the table. He's waiting for something, but Mirajane doesn't know what.

It is when his eyes darted to the bouquet she's holding and her eyes follow and she reread the card that she got it.

He is waiting for her to remember...

That it's not true that she never gave anyone a special chocolate on Valentines; it's not true that she isn't ( _wasn't_ ) anyone's secret admirer.

Because once upon a lifetime she had been an impulsive fourteen year-old who very secretly had her eyes on a certain mage four years her senior; and that one year she had secretly sent him a special Valentines chocolate. (Right after telling all the other girls that Valentines is a very silly occasion.)

It's a memory tucked at the back of her mind;kept further behind by the years that passed, but there is no denying now that yes, it happened, not entirely so long ago: she had been Laxus Dreyar's secret admirer.

She remembered making that chocolate discreetly, and bribing (or bullying) the local mailman to drop it at the Dreyars' for her. She remembered hiding behind the oak tree across the street to watch him receive it; him poker-faced and not at all giving any reaction away. But he accepted it and took it inside. She remembered the odd, warm feeling this gave her, but also how annoyed she was of herself for doing something so silly. In her mind she blamed the other girls for 'infecting' her with silliness; and blamed them more when, on White Day following that, she felt _slightly_ sad that she isn't gonna get anything back.

When Laxus showed no signs of knowing who sent him the chocolates, Mirajane felt relieved and acted as if this never happened, pushing behind the memory with brashness and sometimes denial: _I did not do that_.

To the best of her knowledge, nobody knew, yet now... Cheeks burning with embarrassment, she made the difficult effort of tearing her eyes away from the card to watch Laxus walking towards her, with his signature smirk and a hint — just a hint — of teasing in the way he stared.

"... L-Laxus," she stuttered, looking up to face him when he stopped in front of her.

Laxus only reached for the card and turned it upside down, and without a word he brushed past her to the exit, raising a hand briefly as if to wave, knowing that she's still looking. And then he was gone.

Mirajane looked around and was relieved to see that no one seemed to notice what happened; she did not want to be asked what it was all about.

 _Had he known all this time that it was me? Why didn't he say anything? Why did he give me this thank-you gift just now?_ Mirajane frowned at the questions still running in her mind, sighing as she bowed to once again look at the card...

...that Laxus had turned upside down...

Her mouth hung open when she saw that the back side of the card also had a message written on it, a message he most likely didn't want anyone else see. She turned to the front of the card, reread it, and as if unbelieving, reread the back again.

And once more she felt that odd, warm feeling from that Valentines day long ago, as she murmured to herself what the front and back message say, combined:

"To my Secret Admirer, Thank you. — From your Secret Admirer."

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_**Hon-mei**_ \- literally 'true feelings'. In Japan, it is a tradition for girls to give out chocolates on Valentines, but while most chocolates are 'obligation' or 'friendly' chocolates, they make one that is specially made for someone they really like, the 'Honmei choco'.

I know that Fairy Tail isn't set in Japan and therefore may not observe Japanese customs. But for the sake of this fanfic, let's believe that they do ;)

_Thanks for reading!_


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